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Southern Belle
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: A beautiful and charming woman from the Southern United States. A Southern Belle possesses an undeniable natural charm, has a warm and dazzling smile, and impeccable manners, calling each person she encounters 'sir' or 'ma'am' regardless of their age or position. A Southern Belle can be recognized by her unforgettable Southern drawl, unstinting hospitality and graciousness, and her recognition as Football as a part of her religion. Southern Belles are recognized as one of God's greatest creations and continously overshadow women from northern US States.
Alabama is blessed with beauty. From scenic views like the Mobile Bay lighthouse in the summer to our mountain region's gorgeous fall colors, there's something beautiful to see year round. See the old wooden bridges along rural roads, majestic waterfalls in the forests, and the spring splendor of our great outdoors that are all part of the beauty of the South.
April 11, 2002
Elon University, Elon, N. Carolina
Any True Southern Belle Knows The Unwritten Rules Of The South by Sally Lynch
There are rules in the South. I don’t mean the simple rules like all iced tea should be sugar-shocked. I am talking about the rules any good Southern belle knows. These are the rules that separate those who move to the South from those who come from the South.
These rules, like many in life, are not written. A Southern girl learns them by watching and listening to her doting mother, aunt or grandmother. The real Southern traditions are passed down from generation to generation.
For those of you hoping to pick up a few tips about how to be a Southern belle, remember this: a belle is born, not made.
To be a southern belle is to live life with subtle nuances of tradition and good manners that never go out of style. It’s not the soft Southern drawl that makes a girl a belle; it’s the quality of her traditions. In the South, it is not so much what you do, but rather how you do it.
The most important thing to a Southerner is not money. In fact, some of the best families in the South have not had money for generations. I would rather have my grandmother’s teapot collection than a Gucci bag! What Southerners put above all else are breeding and manners. When a person puts money above manners, they deserve and receive the worst of all possible insults. They are called tacky. No one ever wants to be called tacky.
I can only imagine that yankees think a Southern belle is a woman who drinks iced tea and eats grits. However, there is so much more to a Southern belle than that.
First of all, we do not just drink iced tea; we inhale it. If I knew a way to have iced tea pumped into my body intravenously, I would do it. I drink iced tea in the middle of winter. This is one of the main reasons Southern belles stay in the South. And Luzianne Tea is THE best tea !
When I travel anywhere else and order iced tea, I always get Milo's Iced Tea. It is a close representation of the best liquid substance on Earth, the kind Mama brewed. But, more than just food and drink makes someone a Southern belle.
It is a good idea to make sure your pearls and silver are always real. A Southern belle is born with a silver pattern. If she does not inherit one when she is born, her mother and godmother pick it out for her before her christening. I have it on good authority that there are 12 main silver patterns for a Southern belle.
I prefer the Strasbourg or Melrose patterns because my mother and her mother used them, respectively. They are similar, but are just different enough to show individuality. In fact, that is why that certain pattern was chosen for my mother. I will inherit my grandmother’s Melrose pattern. This will allow the family silver to continue for many more generations.
Throughout the South, belles put out silver that is dented and bent with large scratches. The belles just smile and say "My great-grandmother hid this from the Yankees by burying it in her yard during the War of Northern Aggression." They are proud of their great-grandmothers for doing this.
Many outsiders love the charm of the Southern belle. In fact, it is what we are known for around the world. Believe me, many belles are not naturally charming. Some of them are downright tacky and dull. In fact, many belles have to go to school to learn about charm.
Young girls are put into dance classes and later attend cotillions. In these cotillions, the girls and boys learn etiquette but also social dances. Southern cotillions teach The Shag (a dance). Many belles grow up learning to Shag far before attending these classes. I remember standing in my living room with one of my father’s ties tied to the doorknob. I jumped back and forth following the directions I was given. This was how I learned how to Shag, no partner necessary.
Few people can believe how many boys are in these cotillion classes.
In the South, you do not cross your Mama. Ever. When your Mama says that you will do something, you will do it. If you don't, you will live to regret it. Mama is always right.
Here is a quick secret about how to be charming in the South. Say, "Bless your heart." No matter what insult follows this remark, it is never considered insulting. Trust me. It works.
Country clubs are a second home to Southern belles. That is where we get married, make our debuts and possibly meet our future husbands. It does not matter what the name of the country club is; it is simply referred to as "The Club." No other identification is necessary.
The Junior League is a longtime tradition for Southern belles. I won’t lie to you. I want to be a member of the Junior League as soon as I am old enough. The league has always been an organization where belles were required to work at a charitable endeavor, just like in all Junior Leagues. However, there is always a special touch in the South. A large part of a Southern belle’s life is spent doing good works (volunteerism to you non-Southerners). Even if a belle works for a living, she still commits herself to the well-being of others. This is an instilled value in all true belles.
It is important to understand that wherever I go in life, I will always be a Southern belle. If you are, to the disappointment of your parents, considering committing the highest of Southern atrocities: moving up north, an area full of yankees. Although you would never be served good, sugar-shocked iced tea again, you would remain a belle. After all, I never wear white shoes after Labor Day or before Easter. I would rather die.
written by Sally Lynch
There once was a land of cavaliers and cotton fields called The Old South....
A place of quiet, gently flowing rivers moving back and forth with the tide. Pristine marshes and century old oaks were spread around the country side, draped with the beauty of Spanish moss.
A region veiled in legend, mystery, and romance, the South and all its glorious culture does indeed still exist today in fact as well as myth. A unique regional culture, far different from the American norm. Without a doubt, the most extraordinary portrait of the nation's richest cultural landscape.
There's no need for "hurry" in the South. I believe this stems from an old-time belief passed down, that if you were born into a good family, and were "converted" or "saved" biblically speaking, then you were safe for this world and the next. But one of the dearest characteristics of Southern people is, when they say "How ya doin?" ... They really want to know.
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Me? I am 100% Dixie. It asked me if General Lee was my father? No, but he is a distant cousin!
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